US rums have not exactly been the most sought after in the world, but it would appear Privateer is starting to change that perception. I haven't actually tried anything from them yet, but I have heard good things and a couple of people have mentioned them in the same sentence as Foursquare, which is high praise indeed. The barrel number that I have is P609, which has an ABV of 54.8%. On the nose I get vanilla and spice, along with some oak. It definitely smells like an older rum. A few sips and this has a nice mouthfeel to it. It's rich, but not overly sweet (it's more on the dry side), albeit not exactly complex. I pick up some dried fruit and chocolate to go along with the oak. The finish is a touch short, but not surprising since it's in the 2-5 year range. There is a bit of heat, but overall pretty smooth with the spices returning. For the price, it's hard to complain about this rum. It may not be the most complex rum out there, but I can definitely see the hype with the brand. I wouldn't say it's that close to Foursquare yet, but it's on the right path. I can even see this being a good choice for certain cocktails if you need a rum with some strength to it. If you don't feel like shelling out $80-100 on a Foursquare (sometimes even more than that nowadays), this isn't a bad alternative for half the price.